The BCS, and, in turn, college football’s bowl system, has received plenty of criticism. But whether you’d argue for a playoff or a plus-one, there’s no denying that during the BCS era, the bowls have produced plenty of memorable games, moments and performances. Sporting News picked the 10 best bowl games of the BCS era.

1. 2006 Rose BowlTexas 41, USC 38

The background: USC (12-0), led by two Heisman winners, quarterback Matt Leinart (2004) and running back Reggie Bush (2005), entered the Rose Bowl on a 34-game winning streak. Texas (12-0), led by Heisman runner-up Vince Young, had been held under 40 points only once all season. The Trojans and Longhorns were ranked 1 and 2, respectively, in every BCS poll before the matchup.

The game: OK, so all Young had done was rush for 192 yards and pass for 267 more when the Longhorns faced fourth-and-5 at the USC 8 with under a half-minute to play. Which guy are you going to focus on? Which guy can you absolutely … not … let … beat you? Yet it’s more a tribute to Young than an indictment of the Trojans’ defense that he bounced on his toes, momentarily looking for an open receiver, before scrambling untouched along the right sideline for an 8-yard touchdown run with 19 seconds remaining to give Texas its first national title since 1970 and 20th win in a row.

The MVP: Texas quarterback Vince Young

Noteworthy: Many Longhorns fans saw Young’s performance as payback for his losing out to Bush in the Heisman voting the month before. The irony: In 2010, USC was forced to vacate its 2005 victories, and Bush relinquished his claim to the Heisman for accepting improper benefits.

2. 2007 Fiesta BowlBoise State 43, Oklahoma 42 (OT)

The background: Boise State, from the WAC, became only the second BCS qualifier from a non-automatic-qualifying conference (Utah, from the Mountain West, was the first in 2004) by going 12-0. Still, Oklahoma (11-2) was the Big 12 champion and a prohibitive favorite in Glendale, Ariz.

The game: In a word? Classic. The Broncos and Sooners combined for 22 points in the final 86 seconds of regulation—and Boise State pulled the ol’ okey-doke on Oklahoma not once, not twice but three times. Having blown an 18-point third quarter lead, Boise was trailing 35-28 and facing a fourth-and-18 in the final seconds of regulation when Broncos quarterback Jared Zabransky hit Drisan James at Oklahoma’s 35 and James pitched the ball to Jerard Rabb, who raced into the end zone with 7 seconds to play for a stunning 50-yard hook-and-ladder touchdown that sent the game to overtime. Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson scored on the Sooners’ first possession, but the Broncos answered with Vinny Perretta’s fourth-down halfback pass to Derek Schouman to pull within a point. Knowing his team couldn’t stand toe to toe with the Sooners, Broncos coach Chris Petersen elected to go for 2. Zabransky and running back Ian Johnson’s perfectly executed Statue of Liberty play turned the trick as Johnson scored untouched.

The MVP: Boise State quarterback Jared Zabransky

Noteworthy: The trickeration made Boise State a national sensation, but Johnson’s nationally televised proposal to girlfriend and Broncos cheerleader Chrissy Popadics after the game turned it into a pop-culture event.

3. 2003 Fiesta BowlOhio State 31, Miami 24 (2 OT)

The background: Miami (12-0) was an 11½-point favorite as it sought its second consecutive national championship. Ohio State (13-0) had avoided the late-season losses that had torpedoed previous shots at its first national title since 1968.

The game: In a double-overtime victory, the Buckeyes took the national title out from under the Canes—who rushed onto the field at one point thinking they had won. That’s the kind of game it was. Buckeyes running back Maurice Clarett’s 5-yard touchdown run in the second overtime won it, but only after Ken Dorsey’s desperation fourth-down pass fell incomplete for the Hurricanes. Despite losing All-American running back Willis McGahee to a knee injury in the fourth quarter, Miami sent the game to OT with a 40-yard field goal as time expired. Then, after scoring a TD in the extra period, the Hurricanes and their fans rushed the field when Buckeyes quarterback Craig Krenzel’s fourth-down pass to Chris Gamble fell incomplete. But a delayed pass interference penalty gave Ohio State new life, and Krenzel scored on a quarterback sneak from the 1 to send the game to a second overtime.

The MVP: Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel

Noteworthy: The loss snapped Miami’s 34-game winning streak and prevented coach Larry Coker from winning national titles in his first two years as the Hurricanes coach.

AP, 2011Auburn's Cam Newton (2) looks down field for a receiver as Brandon Mosley (75) and Byron Isom (57) block during the second half of the BCS National Championship NCAA college football game against Oregon.

4. 2011 BCS Championship GameAuburn 22, Oregon 19

The background: Auburn, led by Heisman Trophy-winning lightning rod Cam Newton, was 13-0 and seeking its first national title since 1957. Oregon was 12-0, and the Ducks’ Quack Attack offense, featuring running back LaMichael James, rolled in averaging nearly 50 points per game.

The game: That score-a-palooza? Sorry, never materialized. Oh, but the final 5 minutes were plenty wild, thank you. Oregon, having taken over with 4:54 to play on Newton’s fumble as Auburn tried to ice the game, scored with just over 2 minutes remaining on quarterback Darron Thomas’ shovel pass to James and converted a 2-point conversion to tie the score at 19. But on the ensuing possession, Tigers running back Michael Dyer’s routine 6- or 7-yard gain on first-and-10 at the Auburn 40 turned into a stop-and-go 37-yard run when officials ruled that his knee never touched the ground on an attempted tackle. The run set up Wes Byrum’s 19-yard field goal as time expired.

The MVP: Auburn running back Michael Dyer

Noteworthy: It was the first championship game in the BCS era to be decided as time expired, and it moved the SEC to 7-0 in BCS title games.

5. 2006 Orange BowlPenn State 26, Florida State 23 (3 OT)

The background: Penn State (10-1), led by Big Ten MVP Michael Robinson, had lost its only game that season on a final-play touchdown against Michigan. Florida State (8-4) had won the ACC but entered the game having lost three of its last four after a 7-1 start.

The game: Exciting? Yes. Exhausting? Yes. Well-played? Um, no. And by the time the teams led by Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno, 1-2 in all-time major college coaching victories, had settled things, it had become the first (and still only) triple-OT game in BCS history. It was more than four hours past kickoff and after 1 a.m. in Miami when, finally, freshman kicker Kevin Kelly made a 29-yard field goal, giving Penn State the victory. What did Paterno, 79, say to Bowden, 76, when they shook hands afterward? “I told him we’re too old for this,” said Paterno, who moved to 7-1 against Bowden. “It’s almost past my bedtime.”

The MVP: Florida State wide receiver Willie Reid

Noteworthy: Paterno’s best season in 11 years represented a big rebound after he had gone a combined 7-16 in 2003-04. On the flip side, with the loss, Florida State finished with its worst record under Bowden since 1981.

6. 2000 Orange BowlMichigan 35, Alabama 34 (OT)

The game: How appropriate that two of college football’s most historic programs would give one of college football’s most historic bowls its first overtime game. Michigan defeated Alabama, 35-34, as Wolverines quarterback Tom Brady (before he was Tom Brady) rallied his team to a tie after trailing, 28-14, in the third quarter. The whimper vs. bang factor: Michigan won when Alabama missed what would’ve been a tying PAT kick to force a second overtime.

Noteworthy: Call this a version of “Coming Attractions.” The game featured a pair of future NFL MVPs, Michigan’s Brady (Patriots, 2007 and ’10) and Alabama’s Shaun Alexander (Seahawks, ’05).

7. 2005 Rose BowlTexas 38, Michigan 37

The game: Imagine Michigan watching the 2006 Rose Bowl and thinking, We feel your pain, USC. In 2005, Michigan saw Vince Young get a feel for the big stage when he rushed for 192 yards and four TDs and passed for 180 more with another TD. The Longhorns edged the Wolverines, 38-37, on Dusty Mangum’s 37-yard field goal as time expired.

Noteworthy: In the first meeting between two storied programs, the story could’ve been—should’ve been—Michigan quarterback Chad Henne, who tied a Rose Bowl record with four touchdowns as the first true freshman QB to start the Granddaddy of Them All.

8. 2001 GMAC BowlMarshall 64, East Carolina 61 (2 OT)

The game: Marshall’s Byron Leftwich led his team to what was then the biggest comeback in bowl history. The Thundering Herd rallied from a 38-8 halftime deficit to force overtime and eventually win—calculators ready?—64-61 in double-overtime. Leftwich threw for 576 yards.

Noteworthy: The game was a rematch of one of Marshall’s most historically significant games. The two teams played November 14, 1970, at East Carolina, and after Marshall’s 17-14 loss, its team plane crashed en route back to Huntington, W.Va., killing all 75 aboard. The two schools had met only once since the crash, a 45-0 ECU victory in 1978.

Noteworthy: The Crimson Tide, 9½-point favorites, had been 12-0 before losing to Florida in the SEC championship game. Bama coach Nick Saban called Johnson “the best quarterback we faced this year,” high praise considering the Tide had just faced Tim Tebow.

10. 2011 Rose BowlTCU 21, Wisconsin 19

The game: Score another one for the increasingly not-so-little guys. TCU quarterback Andy Dalton passed for one touchdown and ran for another, and linebacker Tank Carder batted down Wisconsin quarterback Scott Tolzien’s 2-point conversion pass attempt with 2 minutes to play. No. 3 TCU hung on to beat Wisconsin, 21-19, and finish 13-0.

Noteworthy: TCU was the first team from a non-automatic qualifying conference (the Mountain West) to play in the Rose Bowl.